Just watched it. My main concern is the fact that KM and the finance officer (David Joyes?) were both banging on about 'breaking even' and although the possibility of this ever happening was pointed out (as we would all agree) as being obviously remote by Rikofold, they are actually serious. This is not new but to openly repeat this enthusiastically in public is worrying. This will lead us to years of grief until they (well RD) change their tactics or hopefully sell up.
Exactly. It is entirely possible to break even....sell all of your players at the end of the financial year, replace them with cheap substitutes and extrapolate that to the manager, coaches and scouts and off the field management and every aspect of the club operation and you'll likely break even, perhaps even see a profit in that financial year.
You will entirely devastate the club and every chance of ever coming close to breaking even ever again let alone getting anywhere near the black but you will prove it possible to break even for that one short period. Well done Roland well done Katrien.
They fundamentally, to a man/woman fail to see how important it is to get things right on the pitch. I'm afraid breaking even is not going to do it. This club thrived on its ability to find players who wore the shirt with pride and the supporters could have an affinity with each week. If youre working to a budget then you have to be clever,or at least find someone who is (a trait that Murray actually got right when he first arrived) They need to convince the likes of me to come back.The white van man of the football world. They are not going to do that with a swish academy and a call centre you can contact if you've got a wart on your gonads!
As usual, its more about what they don't say than what they do say:-
"his investment has also ensured that Charlton is currently free of any bank debt."
So, is it investment or are actually Charlton up to their eyeballs in Staprix debt?
It's an investment, not a GIFT Mr Duchalet. It increases the club's liabilities. After we have dropped to the Conference League and your investment has increased the value of your real estate, it has benefited no one else but you Mr Duchalet.
I am sick and tired of his £21m being seen as justification for being able to f*ck up our club when he's just moving his money around for his own benefit. Will somebody please make this point when it is next pushed down our throats.
How much more bullshit does this ownership think we can take.
Is every penny of Duchatelet's spend on CAFC in effect "friendly" debt owed to Starprix?
And if so that would mean that it is essentially using the club as a savings account at a rate of return of 3% (if that's the correct interest) which is not at all shoddy in the current climate.
If so of course there is a risk that we go bust and he wouldn't recoup the debt Ha (he'd be hanging around like Murray for the next few generations of owners after he's sold up) but I'm sure he is shrewd enough to avoid that.
Essentially if this is the case then he has spent sweet fa in the bigger scheme of things. Have absolutely no problem with anyone making a pound note but I do when it comes at the cost of destroying our club.
This should be re-named the Charlton Staff Forum. Another propaganda exercise. Another classic example of out numbering the opposition. Surprised there aren't any players dragged along.
What is frightening is they can sit in that room and effectively boast about how good the ticket system is, it's like the season ticket fiasco did not occur FIVE months ago. No mention of that at all.
The POTY will be like everything else they touch, years of tradition will be forgotten and what ever they put in its place will be a total shambles
I hope that having watched the pantomime from last night, you will appreciate why I have sent my "apologies" to the last 2 FF meetings.
Like Christine, bless her, I too would have been shaking - with anger & frustration - at the rudeness & total disrespect shown by KM. TBH, I couldn't sit & listen to her lies any longer and watch her facial gymnastics without wanting to punch her. She has become a figure of fun but more pertinently, a figure of hate and it's mainly at her own behest.
I am so thankful that the decision was made to video the meeting so that everyone can see for themselves what we have put up with over the past 2 years. All that has changed recently is the number of her cohorts brought along to support her which in itself is farcical and does those individuals no favours.
For me, this is yet another nail in the coffin that RD & his henchwoman have built. Once again, in their arrogance, they have underestimated the derision which allowing this to be shown in the public domain would inevitably result.
We can only hope that, one day, said arrogance will be their downfall.....that they will severely underestimate the power of the Charlton faithful & rue the time that they showed such disdain for their "customers".
It has taken KM 2 years to decide that, new players will have played regularly, not injury prone, and be fit enough to play at least 30 games a season. It's a pity she didn't realise that after 1 year 11 months. Tbf she didn't realise it at all until a fan pointed it out. She isn't good enough to run Welling or Bromley.
Williams & Johnson ffs.
I swear my son could have done a better recruiting job when he was 15.
She's massively set back the case for women in football. Clueless.
I started to sympathise with the club and was happy some rumours were put clear. But the longer it went on the more angry I was getting. They are sooooo defensive! Seriously put our back 4 in a room with them to learn a thing or two!
That woman in the corner was shaking, it was a shame because she had very valid points but wasn't very good at communicating them, you could see her getting wound up, luckily the guy next to her ( don't know who he is but BRAVO!) he was the highlight for me. Was able to both support her and also better phrase what she was saying, but Katriens facial experssions and attitude is just unbelievable.
I had a meeting today with a massive corporations HR department regarding my departure, I told them some home truths not as a disgruntled employee but as a happy employee leaving for a lot more cash. And although they didn't like what they were hearing, they accepted they were detached from the ground and agreed the points raised were to help the company not to slander it.
The turnover of this company is billions so Cafc is a taxi cab company by comparison, and if I had got the response and reaction in that meeting that these fans representatives got I would have walked out halfway through.
They just don't fucking get it!!! They are treating this like they are the victim and we are the villains, they don't see the seriousness of the situation.
I'm raging I can't type anymore.
I can't wait to step up the protests! Prepare for all out war!
I will now read others thought perhaps I'm over reacting or reading it like the Dublin interview, and misunderstanding due to translation or what ever excuse she has this time!!
What they say though is that they are "rumours", which is a meaningless deflection. There are plenty of people who know the truth about the intent to hire the Ujpest manager, for example, and she says it is a "rumour". Indeed it is, but it's also true.
Ironically though, that rumourfact would be to her credit if they allowed it to be confirmed.
Accepting that it's partly a function of the FF members sending apologies, there is a pretty absurd ratio of staff to fans at that meeting. I make it 11 staff and 7 fans at first count (not counting the person recording the video).
What's your point here? That it should have been cancelled or the absentees made more of an effort? Really not clear what you would consider might have happened differently. We'd have moaned more if the meeting were cancelled.
I am worried we are picking holes for the sake of it.
Constructive criticism is needed . Surely what is very positive is that the meeting was videoed and released very quickly and that ( to me) the agenda was allowed to air the issues of the day and that answers (whether we like them or not) were given.
I started to sympathise with the club and was happy some rumours were put clear. But the longer it went on the more angry I was getting. They are sooooo defensive! Seriously put our back 4 in a room with them to learn a thing or two!
That woman in the corner was shaking, it was a shame because she had very valid points but wasn't very good at communicating them, you could see her getting wound up, luckily the guy next to her ( don't know who he is but BRAVO!) he was the highlight for me. Was able to both support her and also better phrase what she was saying, but Katriens facial experssions and attitude is just unbelievable.
I had a meeting today with a massive corporations HR department regarding my departure, I told them some home truths not as a disgruntled employee but as a happy employee leaving for a lot more cash. And although they didn't like what they were hearing, they accepted they were detached from the ground and agreed the points raised were to help the company not to slander it.
The turnover of this company is billions so Cafc is a taxi cab company by comparison, and if I had got the response and reaction in that meeting that these fans representatives got I would have walked out halfway through.
They just don't fucking get it!!! They are treating this like they are the victim and we are the villains, they don't see the seriousness of the situation.
I'm raging I can't type anymore.
I can't wait to step up the protests! Prepare for all out war!
I will now read others thought perhaps I'm over reacting or reading it like the Dublin interview, and misunderstanding due to translation or what ever excuse she has this time!!
What they say though is that they are "rumours", which is a meaningless deflection. There are plenty of people who know the truth about the intent to hire the Ujpest manager, for example, and she says it is a "rumour". Indeed it is, but it's also true.
Yes there body language and back tracking for want of a better expression started to make it more clear they were covering stuff up. They almost had me convinced, and some fans would watch this and say all is good again, no actually let me rephrase that!
If Katriens was removed from this video ALLOT of fans would be happier after this video!
She is the protests biggest weapon!
Indeed that is possibly and sadly true. I don't think it's crossed her mind yet that saying there are loads of people interested in the club is exactly what protesters want to hear. Until now one major objection was that Roly was the only one out there ready to put their hard earned into the club. Well, that's no longer a problem.
They won't say what they've received in transfer income and allow people to conclude there is a net spend on transfers of £9m. That's not what Joyes actually says - he's just offset the income against operating losses and left the spending as a standalone item. So still no clarity over what the net spend on players is.
Shame the direct question wasn't pushed ie what was the income on player sales in comparison to the £9m and why do we insist on undisclosed fees when many other clubs fo not?
Accepting that it's partly a function of the FF members sending apologies, there is a pretty absurd ratio of staff to fans at that meeting. I make it 11 staff and 7 fans at first count (not counting the person recording the video).
What's your point here? That it should have been cancelled or the absentees made more of an effort? Really not clear what you would consider might have happened differently. We'd have moaned more if the meeting were cancelled.
I am worried we are picking holes for the sake of it.
Constructive criticism is needed . Surely what is very positive is that the meeting was videoed and released very quickly and that ( to me) the agenda was allowed to air the issues of the day and that answers (whether we like them or not) were given.
I'd agree that the filming & viewing were a positive. It's the attitude of Meire and the disingenuous replies that were out of order.
Accepting that it's partly a function of the FF members sending apologies, there is a pretty absurd ratio of staff to fans at that meeting. I make it 11 staff and 7 fans at first count (not counting the person recording the video).
What's your point here? That it should have been cancelled or the absentees made more of an effort? Really not clear what you would consider might have happened differently. We'd have moaned more if the meeting were cancelled.
I am worried we are picking holes for the sake of it.
Constructive criticism is needed . Surely what is very positive is that the meeting was videoed and released very quickly and that ( to me) the agenda was allowed to air the issues of the day and that answers (whether we like them or not) were given.
Firstly, there is no need for all those staff - four or five of them said nothing but their names and to confirm they had no "other" business. Secondly, as Fanny said, the reason some fans no longer attend is that they know it's a farce. Others were missing through circumstance. I wasn't criticising them, but making the point the staff presence is absurd.
I think those fans who were there did well in the circumstances, but the club was still able to get away with presenting a lot of guff that can easily be picked apart - Joyes' nonsense about the money and Keohane on just about everything he said. As for the ticket woman...
There were thousands of people in the car park last Saturday and the administration of the club, including the football side, is absolutely pitiful. If you think that meeting went any way towards providing "answers" on the "issues of the day" I think you'll be in a minority. What it showed is how completely out of their depth the senior staff are.
Feeling disheartened after watching some of that and reading all the comments. How, really, do we get them to sell if they don't want to? They can ignore our protests.
But they're not, are they? They are reacting all over the place, in a lot of different ways. They can't succeed without us, they can't break even without us spending money on tickets, catering, programmes, etc. The team need us as the 12th man.
I suspect that Roland will sell up before he's 75, but equally I wouldn't be surprised if the result of the protests is change rather than a new regime. Time will tell, frankly I don't care provided (i) Charlton Athletic and all that means survives (ii) the supporters are included in the running of their club, in whatever way is practical.
Feeling disheartened after watching some of that and reading all the comments. How, really, do we get them to sell if they don't want to? They can ignore our protests.
But they're not, are they? They are reacting all over the place, in a lot of different ways. They can't succeed without us, they can't break even without us spending money on tickets, catering, programmes, etc. The team need us as the 12th man.
I suspect that Roland will sell up before he's 75, but equally I wouldn't be surprised if the result of the protests is change rather than a new regime. Time will tell, frankly I don't care provided (i) Charlton Athletic and all that means survives (ii) the supporters are included in the running of their club, in whatever way is practical.
Getting some sort of fan representation on the board might help.
Bit annoyed nobody asked the question about labelling Karel Fraeye ''Interim'' announcing we would be searching for a new head coach when he was appointed and then again when we sacked him, I would quite like to have seen how KM would have tried to spin that!
Feeling disheartened after watching some of that and reading all the comments. How, really, do we get them to sell if they don't want to? They can ignore our protests.
But they're not, are they? They are reacting all over the place, in a lot of different ways. They can't succeed without us, they can't break even without us spending money on tickets, catering, programmes, etc. The team need us as the 12th man.
I suspect that Roland will sell up before he's 75, but equally I wouldn't be surprised if the result of the protests is change rather than a new regime. Time will tell, frankly I don't care provided (i) Charlton Athletic and all that means survives (ii) the supporters are included in the running of their club, in whatever way is practical.
Getting some sort of fan representation on the board might help.
I doubt if there has been more than one board meeting a year since they took over, so not sure that would help.
Regarding the investment by RD, the money put into the Valley and youth etc is great but the investment in players is like a lucky dip.
Surely, there needs to be serious investment in the scouting network so that we get players who are worth at least what we pay. If the money was spent wisely we'd not be in this mess. The same goes on sales, the money we got for Gomez will seem like peanuts when the new Sky Prem deal begins.
The person chairing the meeting seems like he wants to rush the agenda through without giving people a chance to talk and therefore giving KM an easy ride. Having said that there aren't actually many fans there who aren't staff which is utterly ridiculous.
The Charlton employee with the grey hair sitting opposite the camera ( sorry don't know his name) looks and sounds way out of his depth too. What was he on about when talking about fans and disorder? He should look at he's security staff.
The person chairing the meeting seems like he wants to rush the agenda through without giving people a chance to talk and therefore giving KM an easy ride. Having said that there aren't actually many fans there who aren't staff which is utterly ridiculous.
He used the same method when chairing the last VIP meeting
Accepting that it's partly a function of the FF members sending apologies, there is a pretty absurd ratio of staff to fans at that meeting. I make it 11 staff and 7 fans at first count (not counting the person recording the video).
What's your point here? That it should have been cancelled or the absentees made more of an effort? Really not clear what you would consider might have happened differently. We'd have moaned more if the meeting were cancelled.
I am worried we are picking holes for the sake of it.
Constructive criticism is needed . Surely what is very positive is that the meeting was videoed and released very quickly and that ( to me) the agenda was allowed to air the issues of the day and that answers (whether we like them or not) were given.
I'd agree that the filming & viewing were a positive. It's the attitude of Meire and the disingenuous replies that were out of order.
Was it disingenuous though? I say that because there was no real news as no new things came to light. All I heard / saw was the right of reply on some of the things that have been discussed on here and elsewhere.
They defended the realtively minor issue on where ticket office staff are located, Stated the Jimmy Seed stand is at this stage a preliminary investigation and that no staff reductions are planned.
I know I am in a minority but do have some sympathy on the defence of the Dublin interview having taken the time to watch it; you can hear what you want to hear I feel.
I'd rather look to the positive that they concede communication is poor and want go get better.
When the meeting concludes on the merits of a Saturday or Sunday social event with 'our' side admitting to non participation on the basis don't want to consider a change it shows how both sides can become frustrated with entrenched views regardless of the spirit of the meeting.
Critical we (as fans) and they know player recruitment and the managerial farce is the root cause and they effectively admitted that. They commented on it but this forum was never going to get into more detail than it did but a least allowed those attending to express their opinions.
Comments
You will entirely devastate the club and every chance of ever coming close to breaking even ever again let alone getting anywhere near the black but you will prove it possible to break even for that one short period. Well done Roland well done Katrien.
Such commercial and financial cockwomblery.
If youre working to a budget then you have to be clever,or at least find someone who is (a trait that Murray actually got right when he first arrived)
They need to convince the likes of me to come back.The white van man of the football world.
They are not going to do that with a swish academy and a call centre you can contact if you've got a wart on your gonads!
And if so that would mean that it is essentially using the club as a savings account at a rate of return of 3% (if that's the correct interest) which is not at all shoddy in the current climate.
If so of course there is a risk that we go bust and he wouldn't recoup the debt Ha (he'd be hanging around like Murray for the next few generations of owners after he's sold up) but I'm sure he is shrewd enough to avoid that.
Essentially if this is the case then he has spent sweet fa in the bigger scheme of things. Have absolutely no problem with anyone making a pound note but I do when it comes at the cost of destroying our club.
The POTY will be like everything else they touch, years of tradition will be forgotten and what ever they put in its place will be a total shambles
Like Christine, bless her, I too would have been shaking - with anger & frustration - at the rudeness & total disrespect shown by KM. TBH, I couldn't sit & listen to her lies any longer and watch her facial gymnastics without wanting to punch her. She has become a figure of fun but more pertinently, a figure of hate and it's mainly at her own behest.
I am so thankful that the decision was made to video the meeting so that everyone can see for themselves what we have put up with over the past 2 years. All that has changed recently is the number of her cohorts brought along to support her which in itself is farcical and does those individuals no favours.
For me, this is yet another nail in the coffin that RD & his henchwoman have built. Once again, in their arrogance, they have underestimated the derision which allowing this to be shown in the public domain would inevitably result.
We can only hope that, one day, said arrogance will be their downfall.....that they will severely underestimate the power of the Charlton faithful & rue the time that they showed such disdain for their "customers".
PLEASE let it be soon .
Support the team , NOT the regime !
P.S. Is 'squirrel face' still an acceptable description of the CEO?
Williams & Johnson ffs.
I swear my son could have done a better recruiting job when he was 15.
She's massively set back the case for women in football. Clueless.
#unberfuckinbelieveable.
I am worried we are picking holes for the sake of it.
Constructive criticism is needed . Surely what is very positive is that the meeting was videoed and released very quickly and that ( to me) the agenda was allowed to air the issues of the day and that answers (whether we like them or not) were given.
Bit of an oportunity missed sadly.
How sad has my life become !?
I think those fans who were there did well in the circumstances, but the club was still able to get away with presenting a lot of guff that can easily be picked apart - Joyes' nonsense about the money and Keohane on just about everything he said. As for the ticket woman...
There were thousands of people in the car park last Saturday and the administration of the club, including the football side, is absolutely pitiful. If you think that meeting went any way towards providing "answers" on the "issues of the day" I think you'll be in a minority. What it showed is how completely out of their depth the senior staff are.
I suspect that Roland will sell up before he's 75, but equally I wouldn't be surprised if the result of the protests is change rather than a new regime. Time will tell, frankly I don't care provided (i) Charlton Athletic and all that means survives (ii) the supporters are included in the running of their club, in whatever way is practical.
Surely, there needs to be serious investment in the scouting network so that we get players who are worth at least what we pay. If the money was spent wisely we'd not be in this mess. The same goes on sales, the money we got for Gomez will seem like peanuts when the new Sky Prem deal begins.
The Charlton employee with the grey hair sitting opposite the camera ( sorry don't know his name) looks and sounds way out of his depth too. What was he on about when talking about fans and disorder? He should look at he's security staff.
They defended the realtively minor issue on where ticket office staff are located, Stated the Jimmy Seed stand is at this stage a preliminary investigation and that no staff reductions are planned.
I know I am in a minority but do have some sympathy on the defence of the Dublin interview having taken the time to watch it; you can hear what you want to hear I feel.
I'd rather look to the positive that they concede communication is poor and want go get better.
When the meeting concludes on the merits of a Saturday or Sunday social event with 'our' side admitting to non participation on the basis don't want to consider a change it shows how both sides can become frustrated with entrenched views regardless of the spirit of the meeting.
Critical we (as fans) and they know player recruitment and the managerial farce is the root cause and they effectively admitted that. They commented on it but this forum was never going to get into more detail than it did but a least allowed those attending to express their opinions.